As members of the West Chester Area School Board negotiating team, we are committed to an agreement which is affordable and allows our district to maintain its excellent programs. Like every other district in Pennsylvania, we have seen tax and other revenue fall; at the same time, expenses -- especially pension costs -- have increased. Unlike many Pennsylvania school districts, this board has taken steps to address our fiscal situation.

When Mr. Sean Carpenter was appointed chairman of the district’s Property & Finance Committee in 2010, the financial projections at that time predicted expenses of $217 million for 2012-13, and called for tax increases far beyond the Act 1 index (the maximum amount allowed by law with certain exceptions). Since then, the board focused on becoming more efficient as a district and setting realistic budgets at or under the Act 1 index.

Our last two budgets of around $201 million have been lower than the budget three years ago, only possible because of the serious work undertaken by our students, teachers, administration, staff, board, and community to find efficiencies.

In our negotiations with the West Chester Area Education Association (WCAEA), we are acknowledging that every part of our offer comes at a cost. We learned from the 2009 contract, which led to 25 fewer teachers to offset its cost, that only by agreeing to an affordable contract can we ensure the integrity of our programs. Budgeting for school districts is a zero-sum effort; we legally must balance expenses with revenue.

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Our recent offer comprises $2,500 in bonuses for each and every teacher over two years, while at the same time implements market-driven health benefits to offset some of the cost. The current WCAEA proposal costs $6.2 million more than the board’s proposal over the next two years. Other components of our offer are clearly and publicly available on the board section of our website at www.wcasd.net.

Everyone surely understands that our current economy has forced a change to what districts can and should offer in negotiations. We are hopeful that our affordable, reasonable proposal is one that the WCAEA and its members will also understand.